Rookie of the Year: Raul Mondesi, 1994

Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  23

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 202 

Prior to 1994:

A native of the Dominican Republic, Mondesi was signed by the Dodgers at age 17 in 1988. Following two years of preparation in his native country, he was assigned to Great Falls of the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 1990 where he batted .303 in 44 games with 10 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases, showing off his combination of power and speed. With three teams in 1991, from Class A to AA and AAA, he hit a combined .277 with 18 doubles, 8 triples, 8 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. Playing in Class AA and AAA in 1992, he batted a combined .296 with 9 triples, 6 home runs, and 29 RBIs. Mondesi spent the 1993 season with the Albuquerque Dukes of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and had two stints with the Dodgers, the first briefly from July to August and the second in September. In a total of 42 games with the Dodgers, he hit .291 with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs, and with the club seeking to re-tool with youth in 1994, he earned a spot on the roster.

1994 Season Summary

Appeared in 112 games

RF – 109, CF – 15

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 454

At Bats – 434 [8, tied with Roberto Kelly & Derek Bell]

Runs – 63

Hits – 133 [11, tied with Andres Galarraga]

Doubles – 27 [12, tied with Jeff Conine, Gregg Jefferies & Mike Kingery]

Triples – 8 [3, tied with Mike Kingery & Reggie Sanders]

Home Runs – 16

RBI – 56

Bases on Balls – 16

Int. BB – 5

Strikeouts – 78 [19]

Stolen Bases – 11

Caught Stealing – 8 [11, tied with seven others]

Average - .306 [19]

OBP - .333

Slugging Pct. - .516 [16]

Total Bases – 224 [12]

GDP – 9

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 2

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 22, 3B – 5, HR - 15, RBI - 49, AVG - .321, SLG - .549

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 6 AB) at Pittsburgh 4/17

Longest hitting streak – 14 games

Most HR, game – 1 on sixteen occasions

HR at home – 10

HR on road – 6

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. NY Mets 7/9

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 230

Put Outs – 206

Assists – 16

Errors – 8

DP – 1

Pct. - .965

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA 

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Raul Mondesi, LAD: 140 points – 28 of 28 first place votes, 100% share

John Hudek, Hou.: 27 points – 19% share

Ryan Klesko, Atl.: 25 points – 18% share

Steve Trachsel, ChiC.: 22 points – 16% share

Cliff Floyd, Mon.: 10 points – 7% share

Joey Hamilton, SD: 10 points – 7% share

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Dodgers went 58-56 to finish first in the NL Western Division, 3.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants, at the point in August that a players’ strike prematurely shut down the season and eliminated the postseason. Following a 14-17 start, the Dodgers won 7 straight and moved into first place in May. Although they faltered in late July, they rallied to enhance their narrow lead over the Giants.

Aftermath of ‘94:

Mondesi followed up on his impressive rookie season by batting .285 in 1995 with 26 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. He also led all major league outfielders for the second straight year with 16 assists and was awarded a Gold Glove. Along the way he was also chosen as an All-Star for the first, and only, time in his career. His two-run home run in the next-to-last game of the season against San Diego was the key to a division-clinching win for LA although he hit only .222 in the NLDS loss to Cincinnati. In 1996 his production remained strong as he batted .297 with a .334 OBP, 40 doubles, 7 triples, 24 home runs, and 88 RBIs. In 1997 Mondesi became the first player in Dodgers history to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season with totals of an even 30 homers and 32 steals. Along with that he hit .310 with a .360 OBP, 42 doubles, 87 RBIs, and a .541 slugging percentage. He received a Gold Glove for his continued fine defensive performance which included 10 outfield assists while many baserunners chose not to challenge his excellent throwing arm. He placed fifteenth in NL MVP voting. Playing significant time in center field in 1998, Mondesi hit another 30 home runs, but his average dropped to .279, his OBP to .316, his stolen bases to 16, and his doubles to 26. Back in right field in 1999, Mondesi batted .253 with 33 home runs, 99 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, and a .332 OBP, but he also came into conflict with manager Dave Johnson and GM Kevin Malone and demanded to be dealt. In the offseason he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal that brought outfielder Shawn Green to LA. With his new club in 2000 Mondesi played well until August elbow surgery limited his season to 96 games in which he hit .271 with 24 home runs, 67 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, and a .329 OBP and .523 slugging percentage. The player nicknamed “the Buffalo” due to his broad shoulders and large head got off to a strong start in 2001, but a poor second half left his overall production at .252 with 27 home runs, 84 RBIs, 30 stolen bases, a .342 OBP, and .453 slugging percentage. He was criticized for impatience at the plate, his high strikeout total of 128, and was shopped during the offseason. Mondesi started the 2002 season with Toronto but was hitting only .224 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs, and had been benched, when he was traded to the New York Yankees at the beginning of July for a minor league pitcher. In search of help in right field, the Yankees failed to get more production out of Mondesi, who finished with a combined batting average of .232 and a .308 OBP along with 34 doubles, 26 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Still valued for his defense, he was the starting right fielder for the Yankees at the start of 2003 in which he had a good April but tailed off thereafter and was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks in late July following an incident where, upset at being lifted for a pinch-hitter in a game in Boston, he dressed and left Fenway Park while the game was still in progress. His hitting improved in Arizona, and he finished the year with a combined .272 average, .343 OBP, 24 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. In the offseason Mondesi signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates who released him in May after he left the club due to legal issues in the Dominican Republic. He signed with the Anaheim Angels a few days later which set off an investigation by Major League Baseball to determine if he was skirting the rules to leave the last-place Pirates and land with a better team, of which he was absolved. Placed on the disabled list due to a quadriceps injury, Mondesi was released by the Angels for not attending his rehab therapy. Signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2005, he was released at the end of May, thus ending his major league career. For his major league career, Mondesi batted .273 with 1589 hits that included 319 doubles, 49 triples, and 271 home runs. He scored 909 runs and compiled 860 RBIs, 229 stolen bases, a .331 OBP, and a .485 slugging percentage. With the Dodgers his totals were a .288 batting average, 1004 hits, 190 doubles, 37 triples, 163 home runs, 518 RBIs, 543 runs scored, 140 stolen bases, a .334 OBP, and .504 slugging percentage. He appeared in 10 postseason games and hit .219 with 3 RBIs. A one-time All-Star, Mondesi was awarded two Gold Gloves. Following his baseball career, Mondesi became involved in politics in the Dominican Republic, winning election to the Chamber of Deputies. He was elected mayor of his hometown of San Cristobal in 2010 but was charged with corruption involving the misuse of funds in 2017, which resulted in his being imprisoned and fined. Skillful on the ballfield, Mondesi became caught up in controversies both during and after his playing career, which began with tremendous promise. His son Adelberto has been an infielder for the Kansas City Royals.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.